Minneapolis / St. Paul Blog

Jamie Hook's account of three days with Minneapolis animal control officers in the new Rake makes a nice companion piece to the latest (and greatest) novel by D.C. journalist (and writer on HBO's The Wire) George P. Pelecanos, Drama City, about a former gangster-turned-dogcatcher who thinks that some people, like some dogs, are beyond saving. (He hopes he's not one of those people.) It's only natural for the comparison between real humans and real animals to generate parallels and metaphors, just as the literature of Animal Farm and Watership Down makes you take a second look at livestock and rabbits (both horses and bunnies can be seen in downtown Minneapolis). I've mentioned before that Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees remains the best film in years about war. But now the Humane Society and its "non-lethal" counterparts have descended on a region where many hurricane evacuees have said (again and again) that the authorities "treated us like animals." People also became animals, some say. Others found or lost actual animals they loved, while dogs were used to attack the living and sniff out the dead...

Email from Kruddler bassist Tony Zaccardi: "We are having a benefit for our good friend Lucinda Teasley who was in a terrible car accident this summer. She is now paralyzed from the neck down. She somehow remains in good spirits! We are trying to raise some $$ to help her keep her house, and afford medical bills of the likes I hope to never see. Lucinda has been in the service industry in these here Twin Cities for a very long time. I have never met a bartender or waitress with insurance! We will be having a silent auction for guitars, beer stuff, all kinds of cool stuff, as well as food. There will be music from Alan Sparhawk (Low), Rich Mattson (Ol' Yeller), Alicia Corbett, Baby Grant Johnson, and MANY more. This will be a great chance to see some good music, eat some great food, and show your support for a great person." SATURDAY OCTOBER 1ST 12:00 NOON, GRUMPYS Bar, 2200 4th Street NE, Mpls, MN 55418, 612.789.7429.

Garrison Keillor reviews "Lovesick Blues," the new Hank Williams bio by Paul Hemphill in Sunday's New York Times. Sounds like a good read.

My two cents: Hemphill is a fine writer and simpatico author for this project, having grown up in Birmingham, Alabama (his memoir, "Leaving Birmingham," was nominated for a Pulitzer), and previously written the self-explanatory "The Nashville Sound." I know him best for his sports novel, "Nobody's Hero," and "The Ballad of Little River," his journalistic account of the torching of a black church by white teens.

Jodie Foster's latest hit movie, 'Flightplan,' has flight attendants heading to the exits nearest their seats. Three flight attendant groups are calling for a boycott of the movie (reviewed by David Ng in this week's City Pages) claiming that the depictions of a flight attendant and an air marshal are outrageous and disrespectful. Apparently, flight attendants are unaware of something in our society called "fiction," an imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented for the purposes of entertainment. Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Assn. of Flight Attendants, states, "There has to be a layer of trust between the passengers and the crew, to ensure good communication during times of emergency, and a film like this undermines that trust." If the Chicken Cordon Bleu hasn't underminded the trust, nothing will.

TiVo the premiere of "Veronica Mars" tonight and tune into PBS (TPT 2) at 8 p.m. for "Get Up, Stand Up: The Story of Pop and Protest," hosted by Chuck D. The NYT is calling the PBS documentary one of the most daring programs in the channel's recent history. Chronicling protest music and voices of dissent from Leadbelly to Vietnam folk songs to Chumbawamba's supposed-rally cry "Tubthumping" and everything in between, the doc sheds a spotlight on music's historical impact and influence on the international battle for peace and equality. The Strib, meanwhile, sniffs and says the "project is tainted by the lack of conservative representation." Which, really, is like complaining that there are too few men in the National Organization for Women.

Citypages.com is for Minnesota music buffs today, if you've been able to get on the site (there were server problems until a few minutes ago). Picked to Click XV actually features ten articles on the Top Ten most-voted-for new bands (Brother and Sister's Top 5 lists are a highlight), along with a complete set of ballots. If you're wondering who all the previous winners were, I posted all of them in August.) Check out the reactions at MNSpeak.com and some at TCPunk.com. You can also read my belated Minnesota Music Awards review, though for a broader view, David de Young has photos as well as links to everyone else's reviews. Thursday update: Here's a complete list of "Minnies" winners from this year. Here's more about today's Bob Mould interview in City Pages. Photo (click to enlarge): Stnnng (pronounced "Stnnngggg" around the City Pages offices) at the Minnesota Music Awards, photographed by Lindsey Thomas.

"Chris Curtin, general manager and vice president of the Muppets Holding Company, said the Disney-owned venture also is developing an 'American Idol'-style 'reality' TV series featuring Kermit and friends conducting a talent search 'for the next Muppet,'" reports Yahoo. Muppetcentral.com broke the story earlier this month that America's Next Muppet would be slated for Spring-Summer 2006. More pitches for Disney: Behind the Music: Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Gonzo's Gonzo Porn series, Fozzie Bear: Comedian, Muppets Gone Wild, Real World Muppets, etc. (Old magazine scan from Phrog.)

The new fall TV season thus far has felt more underwhelming than when NBC tried to re-create the Brit-sitcom Coupling with blow-up dolls that had no sense of comic timing. Yes, Seth Cohen has worn on every last nerve and Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach!) actually is a more entertaining show than the pseudo-soap it attempted to rip-off. The first few episodes of The O.C. have reminded us that plot lines can be sewn up in less than 40 minutes, and that whenever anyone is about to emerge from a month-long coma, they always warn us by tapping their index finger a few times. Meanwhile, NBC's much-hyped My Name is Earl feels too smart for primetime, but too banal and preachy to really gain a loyal cult following. And the once-brilliant Curb Your Enthusiasm now feels like it was written from a tired sitcom template: Larry David gets angry about [an issue]. Larry David tries to fix/deal with/meddle in [the issue]. In the end, [the issue] is resolved, but Larry David pays his dues because his meddling has caused a twisted karmic warp in the event cycle.

But there is one standout comedy that, like the British version of The Office, could serve to redefine the sitcom: Ricky Gervais's Extras (co-written by Stephen Merchant), has all of the uncomfortable situations and awkward pauses that made The Office a prototype for emerging comedy, as well humor so brilliantly dark and subversive it makes some of the jokes in The Aristocrats look benign. The first episode (airing Sunday nights on HBO) had Kate Winslet in a nun's outfit talking about masturbation against the backdrop of Nazi flags, and Gervais' character courting a woman, among the flags, while pretending to be a Catholic. But unlike the aforementioned disappointments, Extras is about more than the poorly delivered quips and one-liners: It's Gervais's willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable, what we say when we think no one is listening, and what is forbidden and why that makes his shows so revolutionary. Too bad CBS isn't paying attention.

Spotted on a vehicle crossing the Hennepin Avenue bridge this afternoon: "My other ride is your mother."

The first-annual Ameriprise Financial Ivey awards went down Monday night, and the State Theatre's main floor was nearly full of members from all levels of the Twin Cities theater community. It's fair to say that there was some ambivalence